Stardust
by AnimeGeek7
Summary: What if it was Lucy who Natsu knew as a kid instead of Lisanna? Seven-year-old Lucy Heartfilia runs away from home and is lost. Until she meets Natsu. But Lucy's dad takes her back and she and Natsu are separated. Will they ever meet again? Rated T for some cussing
1. Lost

Chapter 1

The rain poured hard on seven-year-old Lucy Heartfilia's head. She covered her head with her arms and tried to pull her thin coat tighter around her shoulders.

Tears blurred her vision and her lower lip wobbled. She couldn't believe her father at the moment. He had called her in to discuss an arranged marriage. What the hell was he thinking? She was only seven years old!

The thing was, her father had upset her a lot of times before. He was always telling her what to do and never paid attention to her.

Lucy's mother had died four years ago so she never met her, but she felt things would be different if her mother were here. All Lucy really knew about her mother was that she was a celestial wizard. Lucy wasn't a wizard, but if she was, she wanted to be a celestial wizard. It might be nice to actually have friends.

She continued to stagger around, completely lost in the rain. Tonight, she had tried something risky. Something she had wanted to do for a while. She ran away.

Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and Lucy continued to cry. She had no idea where she was going. What would she do after this? She couldn't go back home, obviously. But she really had no where else to go.

She took one more step forward, but fell to the wet ground from exhaustion. It had to be at least midnight by now. She whimpered and crawled over to a nearby tree. She needed to be covered by some sort of shelter.

As she looked up at the night sky, she noticed the stars twinkling above. She had always loved the stars. Maybe because they had to do with celestial spirits, but she didn't think that was the only reason. She felt a connection to them. And because of that, she studied about stars in her free time. Which she had a lot of.

A full moon peeked out of behind the trees and Lucy smiled through her tears. She had theories about astronomy. And one was that a full moon meant someone who died was watching over you. She knew it was her mom.

She slumped against the tree and pulled her knees up to her chest. She felt cold in her knee-length pink dress and thin coat she had grabbed on her way out. This was her first time running away, and she wasn't expecting to be so cold.

Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and she closed her eyes. It was going to be okay. She would find a new home tomorrow with people who cared.


	2. New Friend

Chapter 2

"Oh, come on. We all know _I'm _the strongest." Mirajane sneered.

"Oh? You really think so? We'll just have to see." Erza said back, an evil smile forming on her face.

Lisanna jumped up with a worried expression. "U-um, let's not fight, okay?"

Erza and Mirajane glared at her. "Stay out of this!"

Natsu sighed and stared down at the table. Just another usual day at Fairy Tail. It wasn't that he disliked the guild. In fact, he really liked it here. But no one understood him.

The only person he really knew here was Erza. But that was only because she taught him Literature. Well, more like hammered it into his brain.

He was raised by a dragon that suddenly disappeared. And no one ever really got that. He just didn't fit in.

Sighing once more, Natsu got up and walked out the door. Maybe he would find something new to do today. The rain was pouring, but he didn't really care. He sort of liked the rain.

He heard a groan coming from a few yards away and suddenly stopped. Natsu looked around, but he saw no one. Then, the groan came again, but this time closer.

Then he heard footsteps. They seemed to be very close. He was starting to get a little scared now. This was strange.

A flash of pink could be seen from the bushes. "Who's there?" Natsu called.

He heard a small gasp and then the sound of some one running away.

"Wait! Come back!" Natsu shouted and started to run after them. Who was this person? And why were they out in the rain?

A small cry escaped the person's mouth and they collapsed. Natsu ran over to them and widened his eyes. It was a girl who looked about his age, seven. And, well, she looked _awful. _

Her pink dress was in tatters, she wore no shoes which caused her feet to be scratched a bruised, and her face and blonde hair were splattered with mud. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes and tried to stand up.

"Um…" Natsu started. "Who are you?"

She looked at him again. "Lucy." She said in barely a whisper. She sounded very tired as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. And by the looks of her, she probably hadn't.

"I'm Natsu." He said back. "Why are you out here?"

Lucy now looked as if she were about to cry. "I ran away." She simply said.

This startled Natsu. "W-why?"

"Because my dad doesn't care about me. He never pays attention to me and when he does, he just talks about planning my future. I want to decide my own future, you know?" she smiled weakly.

Natsu nodded slowly. He knew what she meant… but where was she going to go if she ran away? She was still a kid. "Um, but… where will you go?"

Lucy looked down. "I don't know."

"I thought so… hey, why don't you join the guild?" Natsu suddenly brightened. It might be nice to have some one who could sort of relate to him.

"Huh? A wizard guild?" she asked. "But I'm not a wizard."

Natsu laughed. He had never been this lively in a long time. "You don't have to be a wizard to join Fairy Tail. But, hey, you shoud learn some sort of magic."

Lucy smiled. "I want to learn Celestial Magic. My mom was a Celestial Wizard and I love all the spirits. But… how?"

"Who cares?" Natsu said, still grinning. "I finally found a friend."


	3. Hide and Seek

Chapter 3

Later that day, Natsu walked through the guild doors, pulling Lucy by her arm. "Um… is this really okay, Natsu?" Lucy whispered, worried. "I can't just barge in here."

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmmm? What's this?" They looked up to see Mirajane standing over them. Her eyebrows were scrunched together as if she were deep in thought. Then she threw her head back in laughter. "Natsu finally managed to pick up a girlfriend?"

"Eh?" Lucy blushed. "N-no, I'm not-"

"Hey, she's pretty cute. Who is she?" Macao asked, walking over.

Lucy looked around, feeling nervous. "Um… I'm…" more people were standing around them, murmuring.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted, blocking Lucy from the crowd. "Stay away from Lucy!"

Macao laughed. "You've got a pretty scary look on your face, Natsu. So her name's Lucy, huh?"

Lisanna walked over. "Natsu, who is she?"

"Her name's Lucy. She ran away from home and has no where else to go. So I said she can join the guild." Natsu explained, still keeping a protective gaze on Lucy.

Master Makarov walked up to them. "So this girl wants to join the guild?"

Lucy stepped forward. "Yes. I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I'm not a wizard, but I will be studying Celestial Magic."

Makarov chuckled. "You seem to be quite a smart girl. Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Lucy and Natsu broke out into wide smiles. "I can join?" she asked. When Makarov nodded, she ran over to Natsu. "Thank you so much! This is just what I need!"

Erza walked up to her. "We'll have to fix you up a bit, though. Come on, I'll help you out."

Natsu gulped. "Good luck, Lucy."

Erza glared at him. "I heard that."

a.a.a.

So it went like that. Lucy joined Fairy Tail and everyone instantly liked her. That was what she had wished for every day back at home. For people who cared. And Fairy Tail did.

As everyone liked Lucy, Lucy also liked everyone. Especially Natsu.

Macao walked up to Makarov a few days after Lucy joined the guild. "This is good for Natsu. Those two really get along. I've never seen him this happy before."

Makarov nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. And for Lucy, too. It seems that she's had a rough childhood. But all I've ever seen her do is smile. She seems like a wonderful person."

"Lucy!" Natsu called. "Let's go exploring!"

Lucy smiled. "Okay."

They walked out the door. The sun was shining down on them, making Lucy's hair even more golden. "Where are we going to go?" she asked.

Natsu looked off into the distance. "I know a lot of places. I was always alone at the guild. No one got me. So I would go out every day looking for a new place to go to and I found a lot."

Lucy looked over at him. "You were alone?"

"Before you came." Natsu smiled.

"I was alone before I met you, too." Lucy said as they walked through an old corn field. "I felt the same. No one understood me. Bu you do, Natsu."

Lucy could have sworn she saw Natsu blush. "Well… we should get going to that place I was talking about." He said and walked faster.

"Hey, wait up, Natsu!" Lucy called and ran up to him.

They approached a wide meadow with wild flowers growing in the grass. It was on a cliff and overlooked a great view. "Wow." Lucy gasped. "It's beautiful."

She and Natsu walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the horizon. The sun was just starting to set, making their faces a light orange. "If you're in a wizard guild, you must be a wizard, right? What's your power?"

Natsu looked down at the ground. "I'm a fire dragon slayer."

Lucy's eyes widened. "But… that means you were raised by a dragon, right?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. His name was Igneel. He taught me everything I know. But then… one day… he was just gone. I never saw him again even though I looked so hard. Then I found Fairy Tail. And, well, now I'm here."

"I'm sorry, Natsu." Lucy whispered. "My mom died when I was three, so I never really knew her. But I remember her face and her voice. After she died, my father buried himself even deeper into his work. And he never spoke to me in the same way again." Her eyes filled up with tears and spilled over her cheeks.

"Wow." Was all Natsu could think to say. It seemed that they both had tough childhoods. But now they had each other. And Fairy Tail. "Hey, Lucy, I though of something. Let's play Hide and Seek."

Lucy's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "What? Why? Isn't that game for little kids?"

Natsu now had a grin on his face. "Yes, exactly. We're still kids. But it looks like we both got cut short of a childhood. So let's play a little kid game."

"I like your ideas, Natsu." Lucy smiled. "Alright. Not it!"

Lucy was the first to hide. It took Natsu a few minutes to find her, but it was still pretty easy. When Natsu hid, Lucy searched everywhere and found eventually, but it took a little longer.

Because of this, Lucy wanted to hide in a really good spot to make it harder for Natsu. She wandered around the forest which was connected to the meadow, and climbed up a tree. There. Now Natsu would take forever to find her.

She heard Natsu running around, looking for her. She closed her eyes and smiled. She liked spending time with Natsu. He made her feel like all the bad things that had happened to her in the past had never actually happened.

Suddenly, something hard fell on her head. "Oww!" she screeched, causing Natsu to look up at her.

"So that's where you were! I should have thought of that!" He called up to her.

"Damn it." Lucy grunted. "And it was such a good hiding place…"

Then she remembered: What had landed on her head? It was unusual for something that big to come out of a tree. And it was impossible for something to fall out of the sky… right?

"What's this?" she heard Natsu say. Lucy climbed down the tree and ran over to him.

"What is it, Natsu?" then she looked down and gasped. In his arms was some sort of egg. It was white with blue markings on it.

So _that _was what had fallen on her head. But… what was it?

Natsu was staring down at it. "Maybe it's a dragon egg!"

"Really? Is that what they look like?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know. But it's too big to be a bird. And what else could it be?"

Lucy nodded. He made a good point. "Well, let's take it back to the guild. Maybe they can figure it out."

"Okay." Natsu said and they started to walk back.


	4. Family of Three

Chapter 4

"So, Gramps, what is it?" Natsu asked after explaining how they had found the egg. Makarov scratched his chin, deep in thought. "Hmmm… well, that's for you to decide."

"Huh?" Natsu narrowed his eyebrows. "Are you trying to give some kind of motivational speech again?"

Makarov chuckled. "I mean that no one is going to know what that is. So just take care of it until it hatches. And then we'll see."

Natsu groaned. "I can't wait that long!"

"Natsu, calm down a bit." Lucy said. "We'll take care of the egg together and then we can get it healthy and strong so it will hatch."

"You'll really help with the egg, Lucy?" Natsu brightened.

Lucy smiled. "Of course!"

Natsu looked down at the egg. "So then… what now?"

"Ummm… well, I don't know very much about raising an egg, but I know about raising a child."

Natsu cocked his head to one side. "How would you do that?" they were now outside, walking to their meadow.

"First, you have to know how to take proper care of the baby. Which means you have to keep it warm and feed it and stuff. But we obviously can't feed it since it hasn't hatched. So let's just focus on keeping it warm." Lucy answered.

"Okay… man, this seems harder than it looks." Natsu commented, scratching the back of his head.

Once they reached the meadow, they sat down in the grass and set down the egg. Lucy then placed a hand under her chin, thinking. "We need some sort of shelter… Oh, I know! We can build a hut!"

"A hut? But how?" Natsu asked.

"The Indians did it all the time. We just have to build one with natural recourses!" Lucy answered, that cheerful smile on her face.

To Natsu, that sounded like she was speaking a different language. "Natural recourses? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head slowly. "Natsu… you really don't know much, do you?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Whatever, let's just get started on the hut. Hurry, Natsu!"

"I'm coming! What's the rush, anyways?"

a.a.a.

After many failed attempts, they finally managed to get a nice looking hut up.

Lucy sighed and brushed sweat off her forehead. "Come on, let's get inside. We have to get that egg out of the heat."

"But I thought you said we had to keep the egg warm. You're confusing."

"We have to keep it warm, but not too warm."

Natsu yawned. "Yeah, okay."

"Hey, are you even listening?"

It went on like that. They would argue. A lot, actually. But that didn't stop them from being best friends. They got each other and they both had tough pasts.

"Natsu, you know…" Lucy started one day when they were at the hut. "We're like a family, don't you think?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, weirdo?"

Lucy blushed a little. "A family of three. I'm the mom, you're the dad, and this is our baby." She motioned towards the egg.

Natsu's cheeks turned bright red. "Where did that come from all of a sudden?"

Lucy giggled. She got up and started skipping around the egg. "But that would mean we were married, wouldn't it?"

"Eh?!" Natsu shouted, his face completely red now. "Hey, you're just trying to make me embarrassed, aren't you?"

Lucy laughed again. "Come on, let's warm up the egg."


	5. Don't leave

Chapter 5

Lucy walked up to Natsu at the guild one day. "Hey, Natsu, we should check on the egg."

He nodded. "Okay, let's go."

They walked out the guild doors and ran to their hut. "Lucy?" Natsu asked, looking at the egg.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't leave." His voice cracked like he was about to cry.

"What are you talking about, Natsu?"

"Please… please don't leave like Igneel." He was now staring off into the sunset.

Lucy's eyes filled up with tears. "Only if you won't die like my mom."

a.a.a.

When they returned to the guild, Lucy noticed Lisanna was staring at her. "Lucy, can we talk for a minute?"

Lucy cocked her head to the side in confusion. This was weird. She hardly ever talked to Lisanna. "Um, sure." She answered and walked up to her.

They were now in a corner so no one could hear. "So, Lucy… are you dating Natsu?"

"W-what?" Lucy jumped back and covered her mouth. "No way! We're friends, that's all! And besides… we're only seven."

Lisanna narrowed her eyebrows. "Do you like him?"

"Huh?" where was she going with this? "Why are you asking me all of this?" Lucy asked, looking around uncomfortably.

"No reason." Lisanna smirked and skipped off.

"Um… okay, that was strange." Lucy whispered to herself. She shrugged and walked out the guild doors. She was staying at the little building for members of Fairy Tail.

When she got there, she immediately went to bed. She had had a long day.

a.a.a.

The next day, she walked to the guild and searched for Natsu. But he was no where to be seen. "Master? Where's Natsu?"

He scratched his chin. "I think he went outside somewhere."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. It that was the case, he probably went to go check on the egg. But he never did that without her.

She ran out the door and headed for the hut. There must be some sort of problem. There must be an emergency. Was the egg in harm? Did it hatch already?

Just then, Natsu emerged from the hut with a worried look on his face. "Lucy! Come quick!"

"Natsu? What's wrong?"

He looked back at the hut and then locked his eyes with hers. "The egg is missing."


	6. Egg Hunt

Chapter 6

"What do you mean it's missing?" she asked widening her eyes.

Natsu narrowed his eyebrows angrily. "Someone must have stolen it."

"Don't just jump to conclusions." Lucy said, thinking. "We don't know for sure if someone stole it. Besides, why would they want to?"

Natsu shrugged. "Well, it's the only explanation. It couldn't just disappear."

"Let's ask everyone at the guild if they know." Lucy suggested.

When they got back to the guild, everything seemed normal. As usual, Mirajane and Erza seemed to be in some sort of argument, Macao was talking to Makarov at the bar, and Cana was sitting with Gray.

"Um…" Lucy started. "Well, we can't find the egg." She whispered.

There were murmurs around the guild as people talked about where it could be.

Natsu stepped forward. "So does anyone know where it could be?"

"Sorry, but no." Cana said.

Makarov looked at them. "Where's the last place you saw it?"

"We always keep it at the hut." Lucy replied.

"Yeah, it should have been safe. Do you think someone took it?" Natsu asked, stepping towards Makarov.

"Could be." Makarov shrugged. "Why don't you two look around for it?"

"Okay." Lucy said and they walked out the door.

"I wish we had the egg back… what if it hatches without us being there?!" Natsu was suddenly worried.

"Relax, it'll be okay." Lucy reassured him with a smile.

They continued searching for the next hour. They looked everywhere and asked everyone, but they still couldn't find it. Finally, they decided to go back to the hut.

"Ugh, I can't believe we lost our baby." Lucy moaned. "I'm such a horrible mom!"

Natsu shook his head. "That's not true at all, Luce. Anyone would be lucky to have a mom like you."

"Thanks." Lucy smiled again. Natsu loved it when she smiled. It lit up her whole face and gave him a warm feeling inside.

When they walked through the hut, they gasped. "The egg is here!" Lucy cried.

"But… how? How is that possible?" Natsu peered down at it. "Yep, it looks fine."

Meanwhile, Lisanna was outside of the hut, listening in on their conversation.

"I'm sorry." She whispered even though she knew they couldn't hear. "I'm really sorry." And with that, she walked away.


	7. Phone Call

Chapter 7

Lucy hummed to herself as she walked to the guild. She couldn't wait until the egg hatched. And she had a feeling it would be soon.

"No… I know, I'm sorry."

Lucy stopped walking when she heard the familiar voice. It was… Lisanna. She seemed to be talking on a phone. Lucy walked around the corner to where the voice was coming from. Lisanna was in an alleyway talking on a cell phone. She tried to listen to the conversation.

"I tried, but… yes, but… look you have to hear me out. I'm aware of what my mission is but I just… can't. Please…" she now sounded like she was about to cry.

Lisanna sighed. "It just seems so wrong to… _what?! No!_" she suddenly screeched. "Why would you… Yeah, but my family!"

Lucy cocked her head to one side. Where was this conversation going? She didn't understand it at all.

"Fine." Lisanna choked out. She sounded weak and defeated. "Alright, I understand. Bye." She closed the phone and dropped it to the floor. She was now full-on crying. She covered her face with her hands and crouched down.

Lucy couldn't help but feel bad for her. She wasn't sure what was going on, but it had to be bad.

Lisanna suddenly stopped crying and brushed her tears away. She got up and started to walk out. Lucy gasped and jumped out of her view, afraid Lisanna would find out she was watching her.

Lucy continued walking to the guild, pretending she didn't know anything was going on. When Lisanna passed her, Lucy smiled. 'Good morning, Lisanna-san."

Lisanna looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I'm… really sorry, Lucy."

"Huh?"

"I… I've done something terrible!" she started sobbing once more.

Lucy narrowed her eyebrows. "I don't… understand."

Lisanna just shook her head. "I didn't want to, but my family was in danger."

"What are you saying? Even if there is some sort of problem, it can always be fixed. It's never too late!" Lucy tried to cheer her up.

"No." Lisanna whispered as a tear drop hit the floor. "This time it's way too late."

a.a.a.

Later that day, Lucy just sat at the guild and lowered her head on the table. Lisanna hadn't come in all day and it was starting to get really strange. "Hey, Lucy!"

She whipped around o face a grinning Natsu. "Let's go check on the egg. I think it's getting closer and closer to hatching! I can't wait to see my dragon!"

Surprisingly, Lucy found herself smiling. "Sure, let's go." She didn't know how she could even smile. Why was she? But Natsu just had that affect on people. It was like he was always so cheerful that he made everyone else happy too.

Whatever was going on with Lisanna wasn't Lucy's business anyway. She would sort things out and everything would be fine.

Little did she know that nothing would be fine. Ever again.


	8. Shooting Star

Chapter 8

"Hmmm….. Ah, this is boring!" Natsu pouted. "Why can't it just hatch already? Why do we have to wait?"

Lucy sighed. "Relax, Natsu. Just be patient. Give it some time."

"I don't wanna be patient!"

_Crack… crack… crack_

Natsu and Lucy gasped. "It's hatching!"

Lucy ran over to it and looked down. "This is so exciting!"

Natsu joined her. "Yeah, I can't believe I now have a dra- a cat?"

"Aye!" the little blue cat squeaked. White wings came out of it's back and it started flying around the hut.

Lucy's eyes widened. "A… blue, talking cat with wings?"

"So it's not a dragon…"

a.a.a.

Natsu and Lucy walked into the guild holding the blue cat.

"Hmmm?" Mirajane and Erza walked up to them. "What… is that thing?"

Natsu held it closer to his chest. "He's not a thing!"

"That's right!" Lucy defended. "He's our… um, talking cat…?"

"Aye!"

"Aw!" Erza's face softened. "Okay, I'll admit he's pretty cute."

More people from the guild surrounded them. "So cute!"

Lucy smiled at Natsu. "Wow, he's making everyone so happy!"

Natsu's face lit up. "I got it! In that case, I'll name him Happy!"

"Aye, sir!"

Everyone was laughing and talking. They passed Happy around and admired him. As Happy flew around the room, they were all in awe. He really was making everyone happy.

Well, _almost _everyone.

Lisanna stood by the doorway and watched them. "I have to protect Mira-nee and Elf-niichan." She whispered to herself. "It's the only way. I'm sorry, Lucy…"

a.a.a.

That night, Lucy and Natsu sat by their hut and looked up at the sky. Lucy hugged Happy in her lap and smiled. She was having such a great time.

"Look." She pointed to a constellation. "That one's the little dipper. Do you know about that one?"

Natsu shook his head and laied down in the cool grass. "I don't know about… stars and stuff."

Lucy laughed. "It's astronomy. I only know so much about it because I want to be a celestial wizard."

"Why are you so smart?" Natsu suddenly asked, glancing over at her.

"What are you saying all of a sudden?" Lucy asked, her eyebrow raised. "Gosh, you're so weird. And I'm really not that smart."

"Yes you are, you liar."

"Oh, so now you're calling me a liar?" Lucy put her hands on her hips.

Natsu chuckled. "You're smart, Lucy. I'm lucky to even know you. That's why I don't ever want to leave you."

Lucy blushed. "Well… I don't want to leave either. I mean, I'm finally happy."

"So what else do you know about astronomy?" Natsu asked, his eyes fixed on the stars above.

"Well… I kind of have my own theories. I think that a full moon means that someone who died is watching over you." Lucy whispered. "That's why I never feel alone. I know… my mom is up there watching me."

Natsu nodded. "I feel like Igneel is watching me, too. But… he's not dead. I know he's not. Well, any other theories?"

"I think the stars in the sky are close to everything. And if you reach hard enough, you'll definitely be able to grab one. It could symbolize reaching your goal. Or getting your wish."

"So, you think that if I reach hard enough, I'll find Igneel?"

Lucy winked. "Definitely!"

Natsu grinned and closed his eyes. "I like your theories, Lucy. You give others hope."

"I… do?" Lucy asked, caught off guard. Just then, a strong breeze came by, causing Lucy to fall back on top of Natsu.

Her face immediately got bright red. "Sorry!" she squeaked and jumped away from him.

Natsu opened his eyes and looked at her. She could tell that he was blushing too. "Um, so…" he said, clearly starting to get awkward.

"Whoa, look!" Lucy shouted and pointed up at the stars. "A shooting star!"

"Wow, that was cool." Natsu remarked.

Lucy smiled. "Natsu?"

"What?"

"If I ever get lost or leave, will you come and find me?" she asked, gazing up at the night sky.

Natsu blushed once more. "W-well, yeah. But we won't have to worry about that, right? Because you'll stay with me forever."

"Just _if._" Lucy said again.

"How would I know where to look for you?" Natsu asked, closing his eyes again.

Just then, another shooting star zoomed through the sky. It gave Lucy an idea. "Just look for the shooting star. It'll mean I'm coming home."


	9. Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 9

Lucy opened her eyes and looked around. It was morning and she was in the hut with Natsu sleeping next to her.

"Huh?" she asked, confused. Then she realized: they must have fallen asleep last night after star gazing.

"Mmm… no, we're not ready…" Natsu mumbled.

Lucy whipped around, thinking that Natsu was awake. But she only saw him sleeping peacefully.

She broke out into giggles. "He sleep talks?" she looked down at him and smiled. He was cute when he was sleeping.

a.a.a.

Natsu finally opened his eyes and sat up. He remembered that they had fallen asleep in the hut last night, but… where was Lucy?

He stood up and walked out of the hut. There was Lucy, standing there and gazing off into the rising sun. Her back was faced to him, so she was oblivious to the fact he was watching her.

Lucy's blonde hair lit up as the sun rose up from the mountains. She may have had theories about the moon, but he liked the sun. Since he was a fire dragon slayer and all…

"Natsu?"

Natsu snapped out of his daze. "Oh. Morning, Luce."

"Good morning." She replied. "So should we go back to the guild now?"

"Sure." Natsu said. "Hey, where's Happy?"

Lucy laughed and pointed to the sky. Happy was flying around. "He really loves flying, doesn't he?" Lucy remarked.

Natsu nodded and the three of them started going back to the guild.

a.a.a.

When they got there, everything seemed normal. Everyone was talking and laughing and they all looked like they were having a great time. But Lucy felt weird. Her heart was beating faster than normal and she felt as if someone was watching her.

The sky was getting covered with clouds now like it was about to rain. The weather had been pretty gloomy lately, so that wasn't a big surprise.

Suddenly, the door burst open and three men came in. They seemed to be blocking another person. "Where is Lucy Heartfilia?" they asked in unison.

Lucy stepped back. "Huh?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "What do you want from Lucy?" he growled and grabbed her hand.

The three men parted to reveal the fourth.

Lucy gasped. "Father!"


	10. I'll Wait

Chapter 10

"W-why are you…?" Lucy whimpered. No. That was a lie. She knew why he was here.

Lisanna suddenly jumped in front of Lucy. "No! I know what I said, but… I regret it! You can't take Lucy!"

One of the men stepped forward. "You little traitor." He barked out a laugh. "Too late. You can't go against us." He grabbed Lisanna by her dress and threw her to the other side of the room.

"Stop!" Lucy yelled. "Don't do that to Lisanna! She didn't do anything wrong!"

Another man laughed. "You say that but… It was Lisanna-san who told us where you were!"

Lucy's eyes widened and she was suddenly very still. "You're… lying…" she choked out.

She could hear Lisanna's cry from the other end of the guild. "I'm… sorry, I'm sorry!" she said in between sobs.

The rest of the guild looked very confused. Especially Mirajane and Elfman.

All of a sudden, Lisanna stood up shakily and bolted out the door, still in tears.

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "No, it can't be. Lisanna woudn't… I mean, why would she?"

The men seemed to be getting impatient. "Who cares? She did! Now come with us, or we will have to use force!"

"No!" Natsu shouted sternly. "I won't let you take Lucy away from me!"

"Lucy." Her father finally spoke. "Stop this nonsense at once. Come with me now."

"Why?" Lucy whispered. "Why are you suddenly caring about me now?"

Jude Heartfilia now seemed to be getting angry. "Get over here, Lucy!" he motioned towards the men who grabbed Lucy.

"Master!" Natsu cried weakly. "Do something! They can't just take Lucy…" a tear rolled down his cheek. "We made a promise…"

Master Makarov shook his head. "I'd like to, but… that man is her father. He has custody. There's nothing I can do about it."

Natsu gritted his teeth. "If you won't do something about, then I will!"

Lucy struggled to break free from the man's grip, but it was useless. She burst into tears at the sight of Natsu. "Natsu, I'm sorry!" she wailed. "I… I broke a promise. I promised… to never leave you."

The rest of the guild stood there speechless. What could they really do? Nothing. They may be wizards, but for this, they could do nothing at all.

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed as he ran over to her. He tried to break her free, but the man kicked Natsu, sending him to the floor.

"How could you do that to Natsu?!" Lucy yelled.

Jude stared at her icily. "It's time to go home, Lucy. Enough of this nonsense. Roko, bring her out."

"Most certainly, sir." The man said as he carried Lucy out of the guild. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see Natsu's face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she gave no effort to wipe them away.

"Lucy!" Natsu called, but it was too late. Lucy was gone.

a.a.a.

"I…" Natsu mumbled after a few minutes. "Couldn't do anything . I couldn't protect Lucy."

Everyone else had sat down or gone back to what they were doing. They were all sad and gloomy, of course, but no where near as much as Natsu.

"Natsu." Makarov said coming up to him. No one could have-."

"And you!" Natsu suddenly shouted. "All of you! Don't you care about her at all? None of you did a damn thing!"

He stormed out of the guild, no one stopping him. He went directly towards the hut, Happy flying gloomily behind him. When he reached the hut, he immediately broke out into sobs.

"Damn it." He cursed, whipping the tears away. He sunk down into the grass and looked up at the starry sky. It made him think of Lucy. It made him think of all the times they spent together. And it made him think of the last time he had seen her and possibly ever see her. Her face covered in tears, struggling to get free.

"Why?!" he screamed up at the stars. "Why did you have to take Lucy away from me?!"

Natsu stayed there for god knows how long, crying and remembering Lucy. What if he never saw her again? But no. He couldn't think like that.

Suddenly, Natsu was reminded of something they had talked about the night before.

_"Natsu." _Lucy had said. _"If I ever go away, will you come look for me?"_

_ "How would I know where to find you?"_

_ "Just look for the shooting star. It'll mean I'm coming home." _And then she had giving him one of those smiles. Those Lucy smiles that made him feel good inside.

Natsu looked up at the sky once more. "Lucy." He whispered. "I'll wait for you. I'll wait for the shooting star."


	11. Lisanna's Confession

Chapter 11

Natsu woke up the next morning in the hut. Again, he had spent the night there. But this time, Lucy wasn't with him. And she may never be again.

He didn't feel like seeing anyone. Maybe he would get over it eventually. Maybe he would be able to see everyone at the guild. But right now he had someone else he needed to see.

a.a.a.

It wasn't hard to guess where she was. Of course she was by the river. "Lisanna." He called out to her. She turned and he saw her dead-looking eyes and her tear stained face.

When she saw him, she turned back to the river. "Does everyone hate me now, Natsu?"

Natsu sighed and sat next to her. "Lisanna, I know you're not a bad person. So… why? Why would you cause so much pain to Lucy?" Again, h thought of Lucy crying and struggling to get free.

"I was… jealous." Her voice cracked. "I was jealous of Lucy."

"Huh?" this surprised him. "Why?"

She looked down at her reflection from the water. "I just… she made friends so easily. It's like she just walked through the doors and everyone loved her. I've always had to struggle to get people to like me. I… made me angry."

Natsu narrowed his eyebrows. Sure, he got what Lisanna was saying. Lucy had a charm to her that made everyone instantly adore her. But, she didn't have to go and make Lucy unhappy.

"So, I acted out of anger. I should have waited. I should have calmed down first. But, before I knew, the phone was in my hands and I just…" she sighed. "I'm really sorry, Natsu. I know saying that won't bring Lucy back, but I'm sure you'll see her again.

"Yeah." Natsu smiled a little. "I really want to."

"I tried to get out of it," Lisanna continued. "I tried to call Jude-san back and cancel it, but he threatened my family. He said he would kill Mira-nee and Elf-niichan if I didn't try to break you guys apart."

"Break us apart?"

She nodded. "Yes. I guess he didn't want Lucy to struggle. He thought that if I broke your friendship apart, she would want to come home and it wasn't too much of a struggle. I don't know."

"But, you didn't…" Natsu said, confused.

"I did." She confessed. "I stole the egg."

_"What?" _Natsu was astonished. "But it was there the next day."

Lisanna smiled a little. "I put it back. I knew it was the right thing to do. Anyway, then Jude-san just… came. And took away Lucy."

"Oh. I see." He looked away from her.

"I can't have you hate me." Lisanna said. "Will you ever forgive me?"

Natsu stood abruptly. "Maybe I can someday. But not today. I hope I can see Lucy again. But I don't know." He sighed and turned away from her. "I really did like you, Lisanna." Then he walked off.

Lisanna buried her face in her hands. What had she done?


	12. Nightmare

Chapter 12

Lucy twitched her eyelids and warily opened her eyes. Immediately, she gasped and sat up. She was back at home. Was she having a nightmare?

She looked down at the crisp white sheets of hr bed. _Her _bed. From home. Lucy sighed. She definitely wasn't dreaming.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." she croaked, feeling more tired than ever.

Her door opened and a maid came in. "Lucy-sama. Your father wishes to speak to you in his office."

Lucy choked back the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. But she had to be strong about this.

Following the maid, she walked down the long hall that led to her father's office.

Jude sat there at his desk, looking all-business. When did he not?

"Father… you needed me?" Lucy whispered as she approached him.

"Yes." He looked at her sternly. "The arranged marriage is set up. You will marry Daichi Hokkaido."

Lucy swallowed back her anger. Who even was this guy? Was he the same age as her? And when was she supossed to marry him?

As if reading her thoughts, Jude said. "The wedding is planned to be in nine years. When you are 16 years old. You may leave now."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran to her room. Slamming the door, she burst into sobs. Why couldn't she choose her own future? Why couldn't she choose her own husband?

She felt like she needed to talk to someone. Immediately, Natsu popped into her head which made her cry even harder. Natsu would listen to her and comfort her.

Did he miss her too? She wasn't able to properly tell him how much he meant to her. He saved her. He took her in when she had no where to go. He was her first real friend.

And now he was gone.

**A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter. Oh, and sorry this is kinda depressing right now. I swear it gets happy!**


	13. A Vision

Chapter 13

Days passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. And then a year passed. Natsu remained the same.

He went back to the guild, of course. And he was talking to everyone again. But the pain in his heart never went away.

One day in particular, he realized something: he hadn't gone stargazing since he did that one night with Lucy. So he decided to go tonight.

That night, Natsu walked out towards the hut. It was cold with the wind blowing, but not too cold. He sat down in the slightly damp grass and looked up. There was so much less stars than there were when he was with Lucy.

And, even worse, there were no shooting stars. It was like the sky was screaming, "You won't find Lucy!"

He had sworn to himself for the past year that he would definitely find her. But was it now time to face the truth? What if he really would never see her again? He didn't know where or how to find her. And if he did manage to get her back, wouldn't her dad just do the same thing?

That was it. He really _couldn't _save Lucy. Not with her dad. Then, a horrifying thought struck him: was she suffering? Was she unhappy?

Besides, Lisanna hadn't come back. She was missing and Natsu couldn't help but feel guilty. Was it because he said he hadn't forgiven her yet. Natsu sighed in frustration. He just needed some relaxing time.

Finally, he just stared up at the sky. It was peaceful. He knew then and there that Lucy was right. The stars did seem to be close to everything. But if he reached hard enough, would he be able to find Lucy?

What else had she said? A full moon means that someone who has died is watching over you.

But… he really didn't know anyone in particular that has died.

He peered up at the sky and, yet again, a full moon shone down on him. Natsu closed his eyes and pretty soon drifted into a sleep.

In his sleep, he dreamed. But it wasn't really like a dream. It felt more like a vision.

He saw Lucy running through a thick forest. Or was it a forest? He couldn't tell because it was so dark. She seemed to be running from someone. Or something.

She suddenly tripped over something- a root?- and fell. Her face was covered in mud, her eyes red from tears. She screamed and covered her head.

Natsu's eyes shot open and he sat up, breathing hard. What was that? Why was Lucy in trouble? Why did it seem more like a vision than a dream? All these questions ran through his head as he tried to straighten things out.

"Oh my god." He whispered, his heart pounding. _"No."_

The full moon was still in the sky. It _did _feel like someone was watching him. Like Lucy was watching him.

He thought again of her terrified face.

All of a sudden, Natsu scrambled to his feet. Was Lucy… dead?


	14. Waking Up

Chapter 14

Lucy felt cold. She wrapped her hands around her bare arms and opened her eyes. "Where… am I?" she whispered.

She looked around and gasped. She had definitely not been here before. This place was… weird. It was colorful and there were waterfalls in the sky. But where was she?

Suddenly, she remembered what had happened last night. She had tried to run away again, but all of a sudden, a light appeared. Lucy had started running, but the light had followed her and she was sucked up. It didn't make any sense.

a.a.a.

Natsu all of a sudden bolted upright, breathing hard. He was in the hut- he had been spending the night there a lot recently. Yet again, instead of a dream, he felt like he was having a vision.

But this time it was different. Lucy was alive. And he was running towards her. It was… happy. But before Lucy could see him, he woke up. If this was a vision, then did that mean he and Lucy would meet again? Would Lucy see him as he was running towards her?

Natsu got up and walked outside. Today, the atmosphere looked different somehow. There were no birds chirping. The river was still. And the sun was shaded by the clouds.

"I think… the sky is sad." A voice whispered. Natsu's eyes widened and he looked around. No one was there. "Natsu… I'm sorry I never got to see you."

"What?" Natsu whispered. He knew that voice. "Lucy!" he screamed. "Where are you?"

Just then, Lucy appeared before him. But it wasn't the Lucy he knew. This Lucy had tattered clothes and blood on her face. She smiled sadly. "I'll be watching over you from the moon." A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on Natsu.

"Lucy!"

"Natsu? Natsu, wake up."

Natsu leapt up and looked around. He was in the guild and Erza was bent over him. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, falling asleep in a place like this? If you're bored enough to sleep in the middle of the day, then you should accept a job request."

"Hmmm?" Natsu rubbed his eyes. "Okay, mom."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Hey! Are you mocking me?!"

"Natsu, lay off it." Cana whispered. "You don't want to pick a fight with Erza."

"That's right!" Mirajane appeared and looked at Erza with determination. "If it's a fight you're looking for, then ask me!"

Natsu sighed and backed out of the guild. He didn't understand it. How could everyone have such a great time and he couldn't? Why did he have to have Lucy to have a good time? She just meant so much to him for some reason. But why? They had only known each other for a few months.

Yet he felt like he had known her for years…

"Natsu!" A voice screamed.

He paused and slowly turned around. That was also a voice he knew.

"Look, I'm sorry about… all that happened before. But right now, something bad is happening and you have to trust me!" Lisanna said, looking at him intently.

"L-Lisanna?" Natsu choked out. "Hey, where have you been? Everyone was worried! Why would-."

"I'll explain later!" Lisanna shouted. She looked different… older. A year had passed, so she was 8 now, but she looked far older than 8. Was it that she was more mature?

"Fine. What do you need to tell me?"

She looked down. "I know where Lucy is."


	15. A Farytale

Chapter 15

Lucy stood up and bushed herself off. She had to find out where she was. That night with the mysterious light, she had been trying to run away. But then she was sucked up and now she was here.

Once, she had read a Fairytale about something like this, but never thought it could actually be real.

A fisherman walked past her and she jumped up with relief. At least she wasn't alone here. "U-um, excuse me? Where am I?"

The man took one look at Lucy and yelped in surprise. Then he dashed off into the woods. That was strange...

a.a.a.

"Wait, you... what?" Natsu looked down at Lisanna's serious expression. Then, he broke out into a huge grin. "Seriously?! You know where Lucy is?"

Lisanna's expression didn't change. "I do, but... you may still not be able to see her, Natsu."

"What are you saying? No matter where she is, I will always go get her. This is her home. In fact, I don't know why I didn't go and find her sooner. Like, why-."

"Because she's not here anymore!" Lisanna yelled, looking up at him. "We can't get her back. I tried to stay optimistic, but we will never see Lucy again." Her voice cracked and her eyes filled up with tears.

Natsu shook his head slowly. "I don't... understand." He started to back away slowly.

"I'm sorry, Natsu." Lisanna whispered.

a.a.a.

Lucy continued to walk down a long, steep road. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't even know where she was. But she had to get out. Every time she passed a person, they would shy away from her. It didn't make any sense and she had to find some answers.

When she reached the end of the road, a city could be seen. It looked very lively and busy, but it wasn't like anything she had ever seen. The land was... floating. Did this kind of place really exist on Earth? Was she dreaming?

"It's her!" Lucy heard a voice say behind her. She turned around and saw a group of people gathered around.

Lucy stepped back. "Do I... know you?"

Just then, three men stepped forward and bowed. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Princess Lucy Heartfilia."

"Princess?" Lucy's eyes widened. Then, she saw someone she thought she never would in a place like this.

"Dad?"


	16. Edolas

Chapter 16

"Dad?" Lucy stepped back. "Why are you here? In fact, where are we? Why are people calling me 'Princess'?" the questions kept flooding out.

Her dad looked around. "Edolas. We are in Edolas. The parallel world from Earth."

a.a.a.

"Like... she's dead?" Natsu felt as if he couldn't move. Sure, he had had dreams where Lucy was dead. But to actually know for sure was so surreal.

Lisanna shook he head. "I don't know. But, in the past year I was missing, I wasn't just sitting around. I researched. On Lucy."

a.a.a.

"Huh?" Lucy cocked her head to one side. "Parallel world from Earth? What are you talking about?" she was seriously starting to question he dad's sanity.

His face remained serious. "Yes, it's the parallel world from Earth. You see, there is actually word that the world is ending. On Earth, that is. But here in Edolas it is safe."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait, the world will end? This is way too confusing. How did we get here in the first place?"

"The Anima." He replied as if she should automatically know what that was. "A light that shines down from here and sucks you up. Eventually, you end up here."

"Why would we come here?" Lucy asked, still totally confused.

"Do you remember Daichi Hokkaido, your arranged husband?" he asked.

Lucy gritted her teeth. Of course she remembered the guy who her father said she would marry. As if she didn't even have a choice. "Yeah." She simply said narrowing her eyebrows.

Jude looked off into the distance like he was searching for something. Then, his eyes fell back on Lucy. "He and his family live here. We will be living here from now on." And even more surprisingly, he smiled. But it didn't seem like the smile of a nice father. It seemed like the smile of the evil villain.

a.a.a.

Natsu looked at Lisanna. "What kind of research? What did you find out?"

Well," Lisanna started. "Apparently, she's from a very wealthy family. That part didn't surprise me. And also, her mom died four years ago. Layla Heartfilia. Her father, Jude Heartfilia, is a very successful businessman and had been taking care of Lucy ever since. Though it seems he cares more about his job than Lucy."

Natsu nodded understandingly. He had expected so much. It made sense why Lucy ran away and why she seemed so sad sometimes. But she covered up her sadness with that smile of hers. It made him smile just thinking about it. "So, what else?"

Lisanna sighed. "I don't understand what the last part means. It just doesn't make sense. I honestly don't know if she's alive or not."

"Well, what did it say? There must be some sort of clue." Natsu said, thinking of all the possibilities.

"It said... she's deceased from this world."


	17. Theory

Chapter 17

"Hmmm..." Master Makarov mumbled, deep in thought. "It seems that the research you did was quite precise, Lisanna. However, it didn't give any detail whatsoever to where she was?"

"No." Lisanna answered. "It only said that she was deceased _from this world." _

Natsu looked up. "So then... what? She's in another world? But that's...impossible, right?"

"Not necessarily." Makarov said, looking more serious than usual.

"What?" Natsu paled. "There _is _another world?"

Makarov looked down at some papers. "Have you two heard of the parallel world 'Edolas'?"

Natsu's eyes widened in shock and Lisanna seemed to be trying to remember something.

"You're not making sense, Gramps." Natsu said, scratching the back of his head. "What do you mean, 'Parallel world'?"

"I don't know much about it myself." Makarov said, staring up at the ceiling, then focusing his gaze back on them. "All I know is that there are theories of other worlds. Particularly one other world. Called Edolas."

"So... Lucy could be there?" Natsu slowly broke out into a grin.

"Don't get your hopes up, Natsu. It's only a theory." Makarov replied, still deeming a bit distracted.

Meanwhile, Lisanna stayed completely silent. Natsu knew she was hiding something. And it wasn't good.

**A/N: I know. This one was REALLY short. But the next one is pretty long and I just had to add this in. I'll try to update soon!**


	18. Shattered Dream

Chapter 18

"What are you talking about?!" Lucy suddenly exploded. "I can't live here!"

Jude narrowed his eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"Because..." Lucy sounded weak and defeated. She wanted so much to tell him that it was further away from Natsu. From Fairy Tail. But what would he say? She knew all too well that he hated the fact she'd joined a guild. Would he be angry if she mentioned it?

"Lucy," her father's voice seemed much more soothing than usual which made her look up in surprise. "Here in Edolas you are a princess. You are marrying a young prince. Although you are not to be married until you turn sixteen, you are still engaged. Isn't it every girl's dream to be a princess?"

Lucy balled up her fist in anger. What kind of eight-year-old was _engaged?_

"Well, maybe it would be fun to be a princess for some people. But I don't care about wealth or fame or any of that! I just want friends!" Lucy screamed, her eyes filling up with tears. It was the first time she had ever really told her father off.

When her father didn't answer, that's when it hit her. He really didn't care. What did she expect? For him to all of a sudden be all sweet and caring? Of course not. She would always have to obey him. She would have to follow his rules and have her life decided for her. She was cursed with having a horrible father.

"And also," Lucy said, taking all her strength to not burst into tears right then and there. "I want a dad who cares. Is that really too much to ask for?"

Again, no response. Lucy shook her head and ran off. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't even know this place. But she just needed to get away from her dad.

She ran and ran until she couldn't anymore and collapsed on the damp grass. Hot tears streamed down her face but she made no attempt to wipe them away. What was the point?

All those Fairytales have a prince rescue the girl. No one would come to rescue her. All those Fairytales have a happy ending. She would never get her happy ending.

She looked up at the strange, unfamiliar sky. The sky of a new world in which she would have to live in forever. And even worse, there were no stars.

"I won't be able to see you again... Natsu." She whispered in between sobs. She pictured his hurt face when she was taken away. She pictured his excited grin which gave away all his emotions. All of those things she loved about him. They were all gone.

Natsu would have a happy life. He would marry some pretty, nice, loving girl. He would practice magic and stay in Fairy Tail for the rest of his life. He would have kids and be a great dad. He would be happy.

But Lucy was forced to remain in this world. She would marry this Daichi guy and her whole life would be planned out. Not by her. She would be forced to have kids. She would be forced to be a princess.

"I don't... want that." Lucy whispered once more, her voice cracking. Then, without being able to stop herself, she closed her eyes and screamed, "I don't want that!" The tears came out even harder and she sobbed until her throat was dry.

It wasn't just that she didn't want to be a princess. She also didn't want Natsu to marry some other girl. It was selfish, but she couldn't even imagine Natsu with someone else.

Somewhere in the middle of all the crying and screaming, she fell asleep. But no one came searching for her. No one came up to her and carried her out of the cold. No one cared about her. Why should they? She may be a princess, but she would never have her Prince Charming.


	19. To Save Her

Chapter 19

Later that night, Lisanna and Natsu walked out of the guild. Just as Natsu was about to go to the hut, Lisanna turned to him.

"There's something else you should know." Lisanna said. She kept looking around as if she was checking if anyone was listening.

Natsu's heart started pounding faster. "W-what is it?" Last time she had had news, it was that Lucy might be dead. Now what? Was Lucy okay?

Lisanna looked around once more. A rustling sound came from the bushes and she gasped, looking very afraid. "L-let's go somewhere else." She said and grabbed Natu's wrist.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Natsu scrambled out of Lisanna's reach.

"Let's go to the hut. Where it's private." Lisanna looked serious.

Natsu cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why do we...?"

"It doesn't matter, just fallow me!" Lisanna hissed and started running towards the hut.

When they got there, Lisanna immediately walked in and sat down. Natsu joined her. "Natsu." Lisanna said and looked straight at him.

"W-what?" Natsu backed up.

"Do you really want to save Lucy? Are you truly serious about it?" Lisanna leaned closer as if she was trying to hear him better.

"Of course!"

Lisanna nodded. "Okay, I thought you would say that. So what's your plan?"

Natus raised an eyebrow. "Plan?"

"You know... a plan on how you're going to save Lucy."

"Well..." Natsu looked down. "I don't exactly have one..."

Lisanna sighed. "I figured so much. But, seriously, you need a plan. In order to save Lucy, you have to go to Edolas."

Natsu let out a frustrated groan and kicked a rock out the door of the hut. "Yeah, well how am I supposed to do _that?_"

"That's..." Lisanna took a deep breath. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I do know what Edolas is. And I can guarentee you that it does exist. Also... I know how to get there."

"Seriously?!" Natsu shot up and walked towards the door. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Come on, let's go right now!"

Lisanna sighed. "I don't know if it will work. It might be dangerous."

"I don't care! Lucy might be in trouble. I'll do anything to save her." Natsu turned towards the door and stepped out.

"Anything?" Lisanna whispered.

Natsu turned around. "Yeah, anything. Lucy's... a really important person to me."

"I know. That's why..." Lisanna trailed off.

"Why what?" Natsu leaned in closer.

Lisanna stood up straighter. This was to save Lucy. She could do this. "Get Happy. We're going for a fly."


	20. A Bit of a Confession

Chapter 20

A few minutes later, Natsu ducked back into the hut, Happy flying by his side. He didn't really understand what was going on. But did it matter? Lisanna seemed to know what she was talking about. She must have done a lot of research when she was gone. Then he paused, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Why was Lisanna helping so much? Was it because she felt guilty for what she had done to Lucy? But if Lisanna wasn't helping him, he wouldn't have gotten this far. He wouldn't have known about her family or all this Edolas stuff. Sure, he would've tried to save her, but how far could he have gotten?

"Thanks." Natsu said suddenly, making Lisanna jump in surprise. She hadn't noticed him standing in the doorway.

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What for?"

Natsu shrugged. "Just for helping me out. I mean, I couldn't have done it on my own."

Lisanna looked far off into the distance. "I think you could have."

Natsu looked at her crazily. "Are you kidding me? How could I have figured all that stuff out?"

"Well," she started. "You have so much determination. You're willing to do anything to save Lucy. After all, you lo-." Lisanna abruptly put a hand over her mouth.

Natsu's cheeks turned bright red and he stepped back. He knew all-too-well what she had been about to say. _After all, you love her._

But Natsu didn't really know what love was. Yeah, he really liked Lucy. But as what? Just a friend? It didn't seem like it. But he was too young to be in love. He only wanted to protect Lucy. That's it, they were just really good friends... right?

a.a.a.

Lucy woke up in the middle of the night. As she looked around, she remembered what had just happened. The crying, the screaming, all of it. How could she forget? After all, in this world, she was alone. She would always be alone.

It looked as if it were about dusk. If she didn't hurry back, her father would be worried. Oh wait. No he wouldn't. He didn't care about her.

Lucy truly did want her father to care about her. She did. Maybe she had made mistakes too. She had ran away and everything. But he was to blame. She wouldn't have had to run away if he wasn't such a terrible father.

She sighed. Thinking about it wouldn't help anything. So instead, she decided to explore. She walked down the long, steep hill she was on top of and continued down a windy road.

Soon enough, she realized something strange about the land. It was... floating. Just floating around in mid-air. Edolas certainly was a strange place. But she would have to get used to it.


	21. Daichi Hokkaido

Chapter 21

"Okay..." Lisanna murmured, looking at some sort of paper. "The preparations are ready. But..." she trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"What?" Natsu leaned forward. "If we're ready, let's go!"

Lisanna looked down. "We... Um, need a plan."

"Oh, right." Natsu sat down in the damp grass. "Got any ideas?"

"Yes, but... you might not like it."

"Huh?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about?

She sighed and looked at him squarely. "We need Gray."

"Gray?" Now Natsu was really confused. Just what was she thinking? "Why do we need _him _of all people?"

"Lucy didn't really know him, right?" Lisanna sat down next to Natsu.

He scratched the back of his head. "I guess not. She didn't know _everyone _at the guild. And I don't think she really talked to Gray..."

"Yeah, and it's been a year. She may not remember him. Right?"

"I... guess. Why?" Natsu stumbled.

She looked almost embarrassed. "Well, Lucy has an arranged marriage. To a guy named Daichi Hokkaido."

Natsu narrowed his eyebrows. He didn't want Lucy to marry some random guy. What if she wasn't happy? Well, he was going to rescue her anyway, so it didn't really matter. Still, it irritated him for some reason.

"So, we need to get close to her and find out exactly where she is in Edolas." Lisanna continued. "We need them to trust us."

"Yeah...?"

"We need someone to pretend to be Daichi Hokkaido."


	22. Behind Those Smiles

Chapter 22

Natsu processed this information. "You want me to dress up as this Daichi guy?" he scratched the back of his head, something he always did when he was confused.

"No..." Lisanna said slowly, choosing her words carefully. She knew that Natsu didn't like Gray to begin with and this would cause even more trouble between them. But it was all she could think of. It was an idea that could actually _work. _"She knows what you look like. So that wouldn't work."

"Yeah, that's true." Natsu sighed in relief. But then a twinge of disappointment went through him. As much as it was a relief that he didn't have to have all that pressure on him. He would secretly love to be Lucy's arranged husband. Even if it was only pretend.

"So, um, we need someone else to do it." Lisanna looked away, not able to meet his gaze.

"But who- oh..." Natsu stopped short, realizing where this was going.

"Gray. Gray has to pretend to be Lucy's arranged husband." Lisanna concluded. She took a deep breath and looked up at Natsu, bracing herself. His eyebrows were scrunched together as if he was thinking this through. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

Finally, he looked at her. His face was completely serious. "This will save Lucy?"

Lisanna wasn't sure what to say. What if this didn't save Lucy? But the last thing she wanted to do was discourage Natsu. "Yes." She whispered. "This will save Lucy."

a.a.a.

Natsu and Lisanna stepped through the guild doors, ready to approach Gray. Although Natsu hated the idea of Gray spending all that time with Lucy, he knew he couldn't be selfish right now. This was to save Lucy. Didn't he say he would do whatever it took?

"Gray?" Lisanna called. He turned around and looked at them. "Come here for a minute."

The three of them stepped outside and Gray raised an eyebrow, waiting. Natsu and Lisanna exchanged a glance, both wondering what to say.

Lisanna wound a piece of her silver, shoulder-length hair around her finger. Natsu noticed that it was longer than it had been last year.

"Well," she started. "I know you didn't know Lucy too well, but would you help us with something?"

Gray narrowed his eyebrows questionably. It was true that he didn't really know Lucy at the time she was at the guild. All he knew was that she was a cute girl who was always smiling and all over Natsu. To think that a girl like that would waste her time on a guy like him...

But Gray had heard other things about Lucy, too. That she may have looked like she was always in a good mood but behind all that she was sad and lonely. He heard that she could really relate to Natsu and maybe that was why they were always together. They could understand how they felt.

"Yeah." Gray decided. "I want to help Lucy too."


	23. The Descision

Chapter 23

Lisanna breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Gray."

Gray searched each of their faces, uneasy. "But, I still don't get it. What... exactly do you want me to do?"

"Oh." Lisanna whispered. She had left out that tiny, tiny detail. "Well... um, Lucy has an arranged marriage. To some guy named Daichi Hakkaido. And, we need to get close to Lucy once we get there. So, since you didn't know Lucy that well and she probably wouldn't recognize you..."

"You want me to dress up as him and pretend I'm the one getting married to Lucy." Gray concluded.

Lisanna looked up. "Basically, yeah. Please, Gray... It's the only way!"

Gray scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking. "That's kind of..."

"Just do it!" Natsu suddenly shouted. "Don't you care about her? Didn't you say you wanted to help her? I don't like the idea either, but I'll do anything to save Lucy! Wouldn't you?"

Lisanna touched Natsu's shoulder. "Natsu, calm down. Let him think."

"Fine!" Gray shouted back at Natsu. "Fine, I'll do it! Now, come on, let's get this over with."

"Guys, stop it." Lisanna looked at them, worried. She had feared this would turn into a fight eventually. But it didn't really seem like they were in a fight. It was like this was their way of understanding. She knew Gray could do it.

She looked up at the sky. "Off to Edolas."


	24. Anima

Chapter 24

Lucy looked around the town area and gasped. So much was going on in such a little town. And, even weirder, she had seen tons of cats around just like Happy. With wings and everything.

Suddenly, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder, and she whipped around. A woman that she recognized as one of their maids back in Earthland stood behind her. "Lucy-sama," she said in a quiet, almost scared, voice. "We've been searching for you."

Lucy stepped back, nearly stumbling over a small rock planted in the ground. "For... me?" she was sure her father wouldn't look for her. She thought he didn't care. But was that all untrue?

"Come." The maid grabbed Lucy's hand and led her back up the hill. "We must get you cleaned up for the ceremony."

Lucy stopped, yanking her hand away/ "What? What ceremony?"

The maid had a whisper of a smile on her lips. "It's time to meet your prince."

a.a.a.

Lisanna led Natsu and Gray down a rocky path that seemed to lead to some creek. Natsu looked around in confusion. He had been living here for a while and found places when he went exploring. How had he not noticed this?

As if reading his mind, Lisanna motioned towards the little creek surrounded by tall grass and oak trees. "No one knows about this place," she started. "I found it not long after I ran away. You know... when Lucy was taken away." He cringed, the horrible memory coming back to her.

Natsu and Gray looked around, taking all this in, while Lisanna continued.

"But I wasn't the only one who was here." She went on. "There was a boy here who looked really troubled and confused. He gave his name to me as Jellal, but then later decided that I should call him Mystogan."

Gray stepped forward, a shocked expression on his face. "Jellal? I've heard Erza mention that name before!"

Lisanna shrugged. "I don't really know much about Erza. She may have known him. Or the _other _him."

"Other him?" Natsu shook his head, trying to make sense of this. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in Edolas, they have everyone they do here. But with opposite personalities. The reason Mystogan changed his name was because there's a Jellal who exists here." Lisanna said casually as if this were completely normal.

Before Natsu or Gray got a chance to reply to that, Lisanna continued.

"He said that he was from Edolas, another world, but was trying to stop something that Edolas was going to do to Earthland. A few times, Mystogan would mention some girl named Wendy who supposedly was the only other person here who knew about him." Lisnna paused, deep in thought. "I figured that there was more to this world that had to do with us. So I started to do research on Lucy. When it said that she was deceased from this world, I knew she had to be in _another _world. Edolas."

Natsu and Gray stood there silently, processing this information. It was all started to fit together. It was all starting to make sense.

"And, when I figured out that Lucy was in Edolas, I told Mystogan. And then... he told me how to get there." Lisanna looked up at them. "We're so lucky to have an Exceed with us. Seriously, that was just pure luck."

"Exceed?" Natsu scratched the back of his head.

She snapped her fingers. "Oh. Right. I forgot to tell you. Happy is what's called an Exceed. A cat with wings. They live in Edolas."

Just when Natsu was about to ask questions, Gray cut him off. "Well, how do we get there?" Gray asked. "What did Mystogan say?"

"I'll show you." Lisanna leaned down and reached her hand in the creek. When she pulled it back out, she was holding a little wooden box. Inside the box was a book with ancient writing in it.

Lisanna opened to one of the pages and seemed to be reading from it. The wind picked up a little, causing the long grass to sway back and forth. _"Win dol migasa le ber vyon tu ra mokur wentaf kye mi laknera." _Lisanna chanted. A dim blue light shone in the sky and began to cast down in her.

_"ANIMA!" _Lisanna cried. At that exact moment, the light shone directly down on them like a tornado. When it calmed down a bit, Lisanna reached down and tossed Natsu and Gray little pink pills.

"Take those." She instructed. "It will allow you to used magic in Edolas."

She then leaned down to Happy. "I need you to fly Natsu up through that light. Do it after Gray and I get sucked up by it."

"Wait, what?" Gray stepped closer to her. "Why aren't we all getting sucked up by that thing?"

"Because Dragon Slayers can't. It won't take them. So that's where Happy comes in. Now, let's go!" Lisanna grabbed onto Gray's hand and dragged him over to the light. Before he could ask any more questions, they were being sucked up by the light. The light that led to a different world.


	25. Confessions of the Heart

Chapter 25

Lucy sighed as she stepped into view of the mirror. As she peered at her reflection, she gasped in shock. It had been a while since she looked this nice. She was wearing a maroon colored dress that cascaded down to her ankles. Her shoulder-length blond hair had been curled and wound up into a bun, with two strands of wavy hair hanging loose on either side of her face. She looked like a real princess.

There was a tentative knock at the door, and she swiveled around. "Come in." she called to whoever it was.

The same maid who had directed her back to the mansion strutted through her bedroom door. "You look absolutely lovely, Your Highness." She said with a slight bow.

Lucy let out a nervous laugh and shook her head. "Please, you don't have to greet me so formally. It's not like I'm a _real _princess."

The maid cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean, Your Highness? You will soon be a princess after you marry Prince Daichi."

Lucy looked away. "That's in a while. I at least have until I'm sixteen to be free, right?" She stared out the window and sighed once more. Not being able to help it, she thought about what Natsu would be doing right about now. He was probably at the guild having fun. Laughing that carefree laugh that she could never get to listen to again.

A tear silently streamed down Lucy's cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, realizing that the maid was still standing there.

"Is everything okay?" she asked softly, resting a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy waved her away. "I'm sorry. Forgive me. I just..." she bit her lip, choking back another sob. She couldn't think about Natsu right now. She couldn't dwell on him forever.

The maid knelt down and began to straighten out the back of Lucy's silky dress. "You don't have to hide anything from me. Forgive me for being nosy, being that I am just a maid, but I have always noticed that sad expression on your face. You seem to be longing to go somewhere else. Where were you when you ran away?"

"I was... at a guild." Lucy answered, facing the maid. "A wizard guild. It was amazing. It was the best time of my life. I met lots of people. But one person in particular stood out more than others. Natsu."

The maid stood and looked at her. "I did hear rumors about you being at a wizard guild. But you're not a wizard, yes?"

Lucy shrugged. "No, but I was taken in by Natsu. He found me after my first night away from home. I was a mess... but he didn't care. We were best friends. But then..." her voice trembled.

"But then you were separated." The maid finished.

Lucy nodded miserably. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "What is your name?"

This seemed to take her by surprise. "Um... Lydia, Your Highness."

"I told you, just call me Lucy."

Lydia shook her head frantically. "I couldn't address you so casually! At least let me call you Lucy-sama. And why did you want to know my name?"

"Well, I got tired of not knowing what to refer to you as. Even if you are a maid, I still want to know your name." Lucy looked into Lydia's pale green eyes.

But all of a sudden, Lydia's expression turned serious. "I think you're a good person at heart, Lucy-sama. And also, I understand your pain. The pain of losing a loved one."

"Loved one?"

Lydia looked at Lucy with sympathy. "You're being forced into a marriage when you'd rather be with someone else."

Lucy's heart started to pound. "Someone else?" It wasn't hard to tell who that someone else could be.

"That Natsu." Lydia smiled just a tiny bit. "I know what it feels like to be torn apart from someone you once loved. It's painful, but you make it through. However, you're still young. You shouldn't have to go through with that."

Lucy blinked. Where was she going with this?

"You know," Lydia said, suddenly more sly and determined. "I know this place inside and out. I know what goes on in every room. And... the exits."

Lucy gasped. "W-what do you mean?"

Lydia gave a knowing smirk and turned toward the door. "I think you know." And then she swept into the hall, closing the door behind her.


	26. Arrival

Chapter 26

Natsu watched as Lisanna and Gray vanished into the starry sky. He turned to Happy, feeling a burst of energy. "Ready to go?"

"Aye!"

Just then, as if on cue, a shooting star burst through the sky. Natsu gasped. He hadn't seen a shooting star since Lucy was with him. Then a huge grin spread across his face. "Lucy," he whispered. "I'm coming for you, okay? Just wait for me."

And off they went.

a.a.a.

Natsu wasn't entirely sure what happened after that. All he remembered was Happy clutching onto the back of his shirt and flying him up through the Anima thing. Right when they had reached the bright blue light, Natsu had closed his eyes.

But now that he had opened them again, he wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was dreaming. For he found himself in a colorful sky with floating islands and waterfalls in the air.

He could tell Happy was just as shocked. "Where are we, Natsu?"

Natsu looked around. "Is this... Edolas?"

Just then, Happy's wings disappeared and they plummeted to the floor. "What's going on?" Natsu shrieked.

"How should I know?" Happy yelled back.

They landed head-first in a little river and groaned. "Happy..." Natsu mumbled, scrambling out of the water. "What happened to your wings?"

"I don't know." Happy answered. "Let me try to use them again." He tried again and again to make his wings appear, but it wasn't working. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Happy fell to the ground.

Natsu scratched the back of his head, thinking. "I've got it!" he suddenly shouted. "I think I know why your wings aren't working!"

"Tell me." Happy sat up and looked at him.

"Well, using your wings is a form of magic, right?"

"Yeah...?"

Natsu thought again of what Lisanna had said. "Lisanna said that those little pills were for us to be able to use magic here in Edolas. And you didn't take one. So... what if there's no magic in Edolas?"

a.a.a.

Lisanna fell to the ground with a _thud. _Next to her, Gray stood up and brushed himself off. He looked around in amazement.

"Wow," he breathed. "This is Edolas?"

Lisanna nodded. She knew a lot about this place, but she had never been here before. Who knew that it was this interesting?

But there were more important things to be worrying about right now. She grabbed Gray's wrist. "Come on. Lucy should be meeting her prince soon. We have to hurry. We have to get you ready."


	27. To Be a Prince

Chapter 27

Natsu looked at Happy with wide eyes. "It would make sense, you know? But, jeez, imagine that. A world with no magic." (Yeah, Natsu, welcome to our world! XD)

Happy nodded. "I guess there can't be guilds and stuff here either."

"Yeah. And on top of everything, we have to find Lisanna and Gray in this huge world. How the hell are we supposed to do _that?!"_ Natsu punched the muddy water in frustration.

Just then, the current picked up a little, causing Natsu and Happy to drift along in the little river. "Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed, reaching out his arms to grab onto something. But there was nothing to grab onto.

Just as they were coming to the end of the river, Natsu and Happy gasped. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

A huge water fall marked the end of the river. And Natsu and Happy were being drug right toward it.

a.a.a.

"So… how exactly are we supposed to do to get ready?" Gray asked for at least the fifth time.

Lisanna kept marching further and further into the strange woods. "Just shut up and follow me."

When they reached a small clearing in the thick woods, Lisanna stopped. "Okay," she murmured, looking around. "This will do. I don't think anyone will see us here." She riffled through her bag and trust heavy velvet material at Gray. "Here. Wear these."

Gray unfolded the navy blue pants and ruffled top. "Is this really what a prince wears?"

Lisanna shrugged. "I'm not too sure myself. I haven't done a whole lot of research on that. But it's close enough. Come on, get dressed."

Gray blushed and stepped back. "Not with you standing right there!"

"What's the big deal? You seem to be fine with stripping in front of everyone at the guild." Lisanna pointed out.

This only made Gray blush even more. "T-that's different!"

"How?"

"Well… I don't strip on purpose! It just… happens!" Gray threw his hand up in frustration.

"Gray," Lisanna teased. "Why is your face so red?"

"Shut up!"

a.a.a.

Lucy sat down on her bed, careful not to crinkle her long dress. Was Lydia seriously considering setting Lucy free? It would be amazing. But what if they were caught? Lucy didn't really care what happened to herself, but what about Lydia? She didn't want such an innocent girl to be punished when it was for Lucy's sake.

"Lucy-sama!" a deep man's voice sounded from outside the door. "Or rather, Your Majesty. Please come at once."

Lucy stood and flattened out her dress. Then, she crossed the room and opened the wooden door. "Yes?"

A tall man with black hair slicked back and a mustache stood there. "You must come with me."

Wordlessly, Lucy followed the man down the long hallway and out a big decorated door that led outside. The courtyard was beautiful with bright pink Sakura Trees lining the pathway and a small pond with a few doves fluttering nearby.

"Attention all!" a voice boomed from some sort of speaker. The crowd in the courtyard took their seats in unison. Lucy swiveled her head around, trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

"Miss Lucy Heartfilia- sama has arrived!" the announcer continued. The crowd went crazy with clapping and cheering. The sound of trumpets filled the air as Lucy walked down the pathway.

"And on top of that," the announcer paused seemingly for anticipation. The crowd waited with anxious grins on their faces, as if they knew exactly what he was going to say. Maybe they did.

"Her betrothed husband, Prince Daichi Hokkaido, has also arrived!"


	28. I Found You

Chapter 28

Lucy's eyes widened, and she felt tears coming to her eyes, but she bit down on her lip and swallowed hard. She wouldn't cry. Not now.

The crowd exploded with cheering and talking. Lucy whipped her head around, trying to peak around the crowd for a glimpse of Daichi. But she couldn't see a thing.

a.a.a.

Lisanna inspected Gray and gave a satisfactory smile. "You look... well, like a prince."

Gray grimaced. "These clothes are uncomfortable, Lisanna. Do I really have to wear this?"

"Yes, so complaining won't do you any good." Lisanna folded her arms over her chest.

Gray sighed. "You're so stubborn."

a.a.a.

Natsu and Happy yelled and flailed their arms around, but it was no use. Soon enough, they were plummeting down the long waterfall. When they hit the bottom with a distinct _thud_, Natsu sat up and groaned.

"You okay, Happy?"

"Aye..." Happy mumbled in response.

"And now introducing the one you've all been waiting for..." a distance voice sounded. Natsu arched an eyebrow and walked closer to where the sound was coming from.

Before him was a large castle complete with a garden full of Sakura trees swaying in the wind. A crowd of people were surrounding the entry way, and they seemed to be cheering. Natsu ducked behind a bush, squinting to get a better look at what was going on.

Just then, the crowd parted a little, and Natsu almost fainted. A long pathway ran through the garden and standing at the end of it was...

For the first time in over a year, he saw her. He saw the flicker of pain in her dark brown eyes. He saw her golden locks of hair piled on top of her head. And, though he had never seen her cry before, he saw her close her eyes and let a single tear run down her rosy cheek and hit the pavement.

"Lucy..."


	29. The Ambush

Chapter 29

Lucy wiped away the tear, careful not to smudge any of the gold eye shadow Lydia had applied on her. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and scanned the crowd of people. Their clothes were very different from what Lucy was used to. Unlike on Earthland, the people seemed to be dressing as though they were still in the time era of the 1700s.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure slip behind the bushes and run away. That telltale spiky pink hair she would know anywhere. It looked like…

"Lucy-sama." A thin hand curled around Lucy's right shoulder and she flinched in surprise. When she turned around, Lydia was right behind her with a confused look on her face.

"Prince Daichi hasn't actually arrived," Lydia explained. "It must have been someone else. However, no one exactly knows where the prince _is._"

Lucy averted her gaze to the end of the pathway. No wonder she hadn't seen the prince. He wasn't even there. "What do you mean? Is he missing?"

Lydia looked forward as she spoke. "We haven't heard anything from the family about him being missing. They claimed he did come here, but…" she trailed off and her green eyes widened. She seemed to be looking at something at the end of the pathway.

Lucy looked in the same direction and gasped. A boy clad in a blue silky shirt with deep black hair stood there facing Lucy. It was him. The prince really was here.

a.a.a.

Lisanna looked at the boy on the floor, wondering if this was all a horrible mistake. After she and Gray had arrived at the castle, Prince Daichi was just stepping out of a carriage and walking up the large steps that led to the entrance. It would have been too late if he entered the castle. Their whole plan would fall apart. They had to think fast.

Lisanna had looked at Gray and gave a single nod, signaling him to attack. Gray stepped forward and did an ice attack on Daichi. Taken by surprise, the prince fell from the steps and landed on the ground. Lisanna had then transformed into a large bird, grabbed Daichi, and flew away.

Now, the prince was lying in a little patch of grass by a meadow of purple flowers. He was still knocked out cold and Lisanna couldn't help but think that they had maybe gone a bit overboard. She also couldn't stop worrying about whether or not the plan had worked.

The good thing was, Gray really did look like the prince. Daichi's face was a bit rounder and his eyes were blue, but other than that, they looked almost identical. She just hoped Lucy wouldn't recognize him.

Suddenly, Daichi's eyelids twitched and he made a mumbling noise. Panicked, Lisanna shot to her feet and looked down at him. He was awake.


	30. Truths and Lies

Chapter 30

As soon as Natsu saw Gray walking towards the pathway, he turned and ran crookedly into the forest. Seeing Lucy was just too painful right now. She hadn't changed much in the year since he had last seen her. She was a bit taller now, but that was it. Still, her personality seemed to be the thing that had changed the most about her. Back at the guild, Lucy had always been so bright and cheerful. She was always looking forward into the future. But now…

Natsu shook his head, willing the thought away. He couldn't think about that right now. He would see Lucy soon, right? Gray would handle this. Lisanna's plan wouldn't fail. Everything would fall perfectly into place and Lucy would be fine. Except one little thing: nothing ever worked as planned in Fairy Tail.

a.a.a.

The prince sat up and blinked a few times, supposedly trying to figure out where he was. Lisanna backed away a few steps, then stopped. She couldn't run away. She had to do something.

Daichi turned his head towards her and he scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. "Who are you?"

"U-um…" Lisanna stuttered. She had to stop him or else he might go back to the castle. Should she attack him again? No, then he would just keep waking up. And she didn't want to injure him.

Daichi sat up and looked around. "The Lenora Forest? Why are we here?"

When Lisanna didn't answer, Daichi shrugged and stood up. Then he gave her one last glance and started walking. Right. Toward. The castle.

"Stop!" Lisanna screeched, running up to him. "You can't!" she grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. He seemed to be taken by surprise.

"What are you doing?" he sounded more surprised than angry. "Let go." He reached back and grabbed Lisanna's wrist, freeing her firm grip on his shirt.

Panicked, Lisanna lurched forward and pushed against his back, pinning him to the damp forest floor. His eyes widened and he tried to push him off of her, but her hold on him was strong. She absolutely couldn't let him go to the castle, no matter what.

"Let me go!" Daichi rasped, still attempting to free himself. "What do you think you're doing?"

Lisanna dug her fingers into the thick soil on the ground and sighed. She couldn't hold him here forever. There had to be some kind of other way to keep him from entering the castle. "Look, you just can't go, okay?"

"What? Why?" he was starting to sound more and more confused.

"Because…" Lisanna paused. She hadn't exactly thought about what explanation she would give if Daichi were to ask. Should she just make up a story… or tell the truth?


	31. Princess Lisanna

Chapter 31

Lisanna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Because I'm the princess!" she said firmly. "I ran away."

"What?" Daichi sat up and took a good look at her. Under normal circumstances, Lisanna certainly could pass as a princess. But right now her silver hair was tangled and smudged with dirt. Her silky lavender dress had a huge rip on the side. It was more likely the prince would believe she was a runaway orphan.

But, strangely, he did believe her. "Oh." He took a good look at her and nodded. "So why did you run away, Lucy?"

"Huh?" Lisanna blurted out, then wanted to cover up her mouth with her hand. Right. She had to pretend she was Lucy. "Well, I mean, a lot of reasons. But I guess it was mostly because my father barely even knows I exist."

The prince got a faraway look in his eye. "Yeah. I know that feeling."

Lisanna's eyes widened. "You do?"

Daichi sighed. "Yes. My dad pays no attention to me either. But is it really the same for you? My family said that your dad felt very strongly about you getting married. It seemed like he really cared about you."

"Well…" Lisanna paused. To be honest, she didn't know about any of this. Since when did Lucy's dad want her to get married so badly? And it seemed like he really cared about her? That wasn't what she had implied when researching.

A few beats passed before Daichi looked up and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Okay." Lisanna said quietly.

The prince's eyes remained on her for a few seconds, but then averted to the giant castle peaking over the trees in the distance. "Why can't we go there?" he asked.

Lisanna looked down. "I don't want to get married."

Daichi didn't say anything, just looked over at her. His expression wasn't one of surprise.

"I just want to be free." Lisanna continued, talking more about herself than Lucy.

"Me too." Daichi whispered. "But I think that's impossible. You can't change where you come from. We came from royal, wealthy families and we can't change that. We'll never be free."

Lisanna looked at him with sudden sympathy. She could tell that Daichi desperately wanted freedom, but he had given up all hope. Unthinkingly, Lisanna reached her hand out and placed it over his.

His eyes widened in surprise, but then he eased into a small smile and squeezed her hand. Just that small gesture made them both realize that there was always hope. You just have to know where to look for it.

**Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've just been super busy. But now that I'm on Spring Break, you'll get loads of chapters this week!**


	32. I Know You

Chapter 32

Lucy stepped outside and sighed. Today she was to meet the prince, Daichi. The boy she was supposed to _marry. _What would she say? What would they talk about?

"Lucy." She heard a voice call. Lucy turned around to face a slightly tall, lean guy with spiky black hair.

"O-oh." She stammered. "You must be Daichi."

Daichi nodded. "Um, yeah."

Lucy took a seat on a wooden bench in the courtyard, and Daichi followed her. "You look kind of familiar…" Lucy said, taking a closer look at him.

Daichi turned away, looking uncomfortable. "W-well, we've never met."

"That's true, we haven't. Maybe it's just my imagination." She said, absently tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"So, when did you come to Edolas?" Daichi asked, seemingly eager to change the subject.

"Five days ago." Lucy answered.

Daichi nodded. "Oh. Do you like it here?"

Lucy cringed. Was she supposed to just lie and say she did? Or would it be better to be honest with him? "No." she blurted out.

Daichi cracked a smile. "You were quick to answer that one."

"Well, it's true." Lucy sighed. "I hate it here. I miss my friends." It wasn't a lie. She _did _miss her old friends from the guild. But even if she was back home, she still wouldn't be able to see them.

"Yeah." He said, looking up at the trees swaying from right to left in the breeze. "It must be hard coming here if you're used to a completely different world."

"Trust me, it is." She said, thinking back to the strange light that had scooped her up and dropped her into Edolas.

They were silent for a few minutes, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was peaceful. "What's the thing you miss the most about Earthland?" Daichi asked, breaking the silence.

"Natsu." Lucy said quickly, but then realized this guy had no idea who Natsu was. "He was… a friend of mine."

"Oh." That same look of discomfort washed over Daichi's face, and suddenly, Lucy knew exactly were she had seen him before.

"Oh my god." She jumped to her feet. _"Gray?"_

The boy looked up at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I remember everyone from Fairy Tail." Lucy crossed her arms. "Just because we never talked a whole bunch doesn't mean I don't remember you."

"Wow." Gray cocked his head to the side. "Why are you so smart?"

Lucy got a melancholic expression on her face. Natsu had once asked her that too. Suddenly, a thought struck her: _Natsu. _That person with the pink spiky hair she had seen running away earlier couldn't have been Natsu… right. "Why are you here? How did you even get here?"

"Lisanna helped us. She knew this guy named Mystogon or something, and he was from Edolas… he told her how to get here." Gray said. "Natsu's here too." He added after a pause.

So that _was_ Natsu. But then, she thought of something else. "Wait… Lisanna helped you come here?" Lisanna had been the one who called her dad and sent her home. Why was she suddenly helping to rescue her?

"Oh." Gray said. "Right. Look, I know she was the one who did this to you, but I think this is her way of asking for forgiveness. She's really sorry, Lucy."

"I know." She sighed. "And I was never mad at her." The fact that she did all this was proof that Lisanna was a good person.

Gray grabbed Lucy's arm and tugged, leading her to the back gates of the courtyard. "Now, come on. We have to get out of here!"


	33. Liar Liar

Chapter 33

Natsu ran through the forest, looking from left to right for any signs of Lisanna. The plan was that after she captured the prince, they were to meet up in this forest. "Lisanna?" he called out. No answer.

Sighing in frustration, Natsu brushed aside thick branches and leaves that hung low from the tree they belonged to. "Lisanna!" he tried again.

"Natsu?"

He whipped around and sure enough, Lisanna stood behind him, her dress in tatters.

"What happened?" Natsu leaned forward. "Did Gray meet up with Lucy? Did you capture the prince?'

Lisanna bit down on her lip and looked down. "Natsu…" she started.

"Lucy?" he heard another voice ask.

Natsu looked up and saw a boy with a round face, black hair, and bright blue eyes. It only took a split second to figure out who this was.

"Who is this?" the prince asked. "Why did he call you Lisanna? Why… was he asking you about… capturing…" realization flooded over his face and his expression changed from confusion to shock to fury. "You lied." He said, his voice eerily even. "About everything."

Lisanna turned around to look at him and tried to touch his arm, but he jerked it away. "No. Daichi, I never intended-"

"You're not the princess." Daichi said, his voice cracking just the tiniest bit. "Where is Lucy? Did you hurt her too?"

"Of course not!" Lisanna cried, her eyes filling with glistening tears. "We're trying to rescue her!"

Daichi's eyes widened. "What?" he whispered. "_That's _what this is all about? You used me so you could accomplish your little rescue mission?"

Lisanna looked tortured. "I-I never wanted things to turn out this way."

"Too late." The prince turned around and walked unevenly toward the castle.

"What are you doing?" Lisanna shouted. "No! You can't go there!" she looked at Natsu pleadingly. "He's going to tell the guards everything. Gray could get _arrested_."

Natsu's eyes bulged. "No… our whole plan is backfiring on us."

"Please!" Lisanna called after Daichi. "Daichi, if you care about me at all, you won't do this!"

The prince stopped for a moment, turning back to look at her with a sad expression on his face. But then he shot her one last icy glare and turned away, continuing down the path that led to the palace. "Go to hell."

a.a.a.

"Gray, this is crazy! Where are we even going?" Lucy panted, running as fast as she could. Gray kept a firm grip on her arm, pulling her through the courtyard.

"No." he grunted. "But we have to get out of here. I'm not letting you stay in this world another minute."

Lucy squinted at him in confusion. "Why are you trying so hard for me? We barely even know each other."

Gray stopped and looked at her. "So? You're still a member of Fairy Tail. I still care about you."

"A member of Fairy Tail?" Lucy whispered. "I'm not…"

"Once a member of Fairy Tail, always a member." Gray smiled at her.

Lucy grinned. "Is that how it is?"

He didn't answer, just continued down the rocky pathway that led to the exit of the castle.


End file.
